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Money Saving Tip- Stocking a DIY Herb and Spice Cabinet
  • Natural Home

Stocking A DIY Herb and Spice Cabinet

Katie WellsJun 5, 2013Updated: Apr 20, 2020
Reading Time: 2 min

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Wellness Mama » Blog » Natural Home » Stocking A DIY Herb and Spice Cabinet

I’ve gotten several emails of late asking me to detail what is in my herb/spice cabinet and how much of each item I order to make sure I have enough on hand to make my various recipes. While it’s always preferable to grow and dry your own herbs, purchasing them from a reputable source can often be easier.

I’ve broken my list in to two sections: Culinary Uses and Health/Body Recipes since I use herbs for both of these. I order most of my herbs in bulk online and order enough to last for all my DIY projects for a few months since shipping can be expensive.

Culinary Herbs

I order all of the herbs and spices I use in cooking in bulk since this saves money and since we use a lot of them by cooking 2-3 times a day. I’ve found that ordering herbs and spices in bulk allows us to use organic ones at a fraction of the cost of conventional store bought spices. Many conventional spices also contain anti-caking agents, MSG or other ingredients that we avoid, so making our own is a simple and cost effective solution.

Here is a list of my 14 most used herb and spice blends, but often, I just season food to taste from what I have in the cabinet. My usual herb/spice order of culinary herbs includes (unless I’ve been able to grow enough from the garden instead):

  • 1 pound basil leaf
  • 1 pound oregano leaf
  • 1 pound parsley
  • 1 pound garlic powder
  • 1 pound minced garlic
  • 1 pound onion powder (or homemade)
  • 1-2 pounds minced onion (or homemade)
  • 1 pound turmeric root
  • 1 pound cinnamon powder
  • 1 pound cumin seed powder
  • 1 pound paprika
  • 1 pound Rosemary
  • 1 pound Thyme
  • 2-3 pounds Himalayan Salt or Real Salt
  • 1 pound dill leaf
  • 1 pound chili powder

Health/Beauty Herbs

We also use herbs in tinctures, salves, skin and beauty recipes including:

  • Chamomile Tincture for Kids
  • Sleepy time Tincture
  • Digestive Tincture
  • Multivitamin Tincture
  • Healing Salve
  • Vapo Rub
  • Black Drawing Salve
  • Herbal Mouth Wash
  • Herbal Cough Syrup
  • Herbal Hair Color Recipes
  • Elderberry Syrup

For these recipes, my shopping list usually includes:

  • 1 pound chamomile flowers
  • 1 pound calendula flowers
  • 1 pound nettle leaf
  • 1 pound alfalfa leaf
  • 1 pound peppermint leaf
  • 1 pound plantain leaf (or from backyard)
  • 1 pound yarrow flowers
  • 1 pound catnip leaf
  • 1-2 pounds dried elderberries

And non-herb ingredients:

  • 1-2 lbs shea butter
  • 1-2 lbs cocoa butter
  • 1 pound mango butter
  • 1 pound beeswax
  • coconut oil (a lot-because we use it for everything)
  • liquid carrier oil like almond or apricot seed
  • arrowroot powder
  • essential oils
  • liquid castile soap
  • castor oil (for oil cleansing)

Do you make your own spices? What is in your herb and spice cabinet? Share below!

Category: Natural Home

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About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a wife and mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

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Reader Interactions

Discussion (28 Comments)

  1. Shelly

    November 13, 2013 at 5:25 PM

    It would be helpful and beneficial if Mountain Rose Herbs would put together a Wellness Mama Package; like the culinary package, the healing package, etc. I have been on their site several times and just ordered for the first time last night, and it was almost all items that you had recommended. It is kind of overwhelming when you are just starting to make the change over from commercial products. If they could offer packages at a small discount it seems to me that it would be a win/win/win for you, us, and them. Whaddya think?

    Reply
  2. Patricia Acosta-Ramirez

    September 16, 2013 at 11:41 AM

    I have been using your recipes for quite a bit now and I am finding myself purchasing more herbs. Can you let me know what’s the best way to store herbs (dried and powder)? Also how long should I keep them, or how long will they be good for?

    Reply
    • Wellness Mama

      September 17, 2013 at 2:37 PM

      I store in glass jars in a cool, dark cabinet. Most last at least a year this way, some much longer. They can also be frozen.

      Reply
  3. Mika

    July 24, 2013 at 3:05 PM

    I just love you DIY tips!
    I use a lot of essential oli in my work as a massage therapeut.

    But I use them alot for health “stuff” as well.

    * For skrub i usualy mix salt and peppermint for my feet, suger and lemon and/or lavender for my body and face.
    * I take a couple of drops of lavender in our bathtub for relaxation
    * For a cold remedy i pretty much use peppermint in everything.
    * I’ve got a special mixture calles “thieves” that’s great for cleaning and infekted gums 🙂
    * Lemon in lipbalm and for dryskin.

    I get my oils from young living, they’ve got good stuff and plenty of uses for them all.

    Can’t wait to try your mosqito repellent though!

    Reply
  4. La Tisha

    July 9, 2013 at 2:28 PM

    Wow, your site is awesome!! I need to pry myself away…so many things I want to try making. I have been looking for a place I can buy all my herbs and spices from at a discount and in bulk and this online store looks great but I am from canada. Do u think it would be worth it for me to get it shipped over to canada or should I keep looking for a canadian based site?? Does anyone know of any good canadian based sites to buy bulk herbs??

    Reply
    • Shaunda

      March 27, 2014 at 2:18 PM

      I am from Canada as well and have been searching myself. The order I’d like to place has almost 80$ in shipping from Mountain Rose. I had 23 items in my cart, which makes each item roughly $3.40 more. Let me know if anyone has suggestions as well!

      Reply
    • Shaunda

      April 4, 2014 at 11:33 AM

      Well I haven’t found an option in Canada but what I have found is KinekPoint. It is a facility designed for cross border shoppers, that gives you a US address to have your items shipped to and you just have to drive over the border (most are within 5 mins) and it will save you on duties and brokerage fees. I haven’t used it myself but by the looks of it you can send almost anything for size and weight and pay only 5$ if you pick up in 30 days. FREE to sign up as well! https://www.kinek.com/ out the website and hopefully you’re close to a border. Good Luck

      Reply
  5. Alanna Austring Yousif

    June 24, 2013 at 11:05 PM

    I’m curious as to how you store herbs in these quantities to maintain freshness?

    Reply
  6. Heather

    June 17, 2013 at 8:54 PM

    What is the best way to store cocoa butter? And is a glass container better than plastic?

    Reply
    • Wellness Mama

      June 18, 2013 at 12:55 PM

      Cool dry place. Plastic is ok, but I always prefer to use glass when possible.

      Reply
  7. Jody C

    June 8, 2013 at 8:15 PM

    I love dried dill weed. In summer, I have gobs of it in the gardens. I like it in homemade ranch dressing or mixed with sour cream over fresh cukes. Local honey is also a staple pantry item (although not an herb) that we buy a whole lot of.

    Reply
  8. Erica Binder

    June 7, 2013 at 3:45 PM

    Comfrey has a permanent spot in our home apothecary as well. Great addition to first aid salves!

    Reply
  9. Sarah

    June 7, 2013 at 12:53 PM

    I make about a gallon of peppermint tea once a day – my whole family guzzles it warm in the winter and iced in the summer. So I go through a lot of dried peppermint. I also just tried making my own tick repellent spray using essential oils (clove, citronella, lemongrass, eucalyptus) and water and hand sanitizer (tea tree, lavender, lemon, aloe vera gel).

    It’s a lot of fun to make this stuff and I like to stay away from all the harmful junk in the store-bought alternatives.

    Reply
  10. theresa gianna

    June 6, 2013 at 12:05 PM

    such perfect timing! i’ve been bargain-hunting the entire week to stock up on my “hippie supplies”…

    Reply
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